


Burnt Sugar

by Thistlerose



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Bisexual Character, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hanukkah, New York City, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-13
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-12-08 09:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/759917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistlerose/pseuds/Thistlerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Willow and Xander meet up in Manhattan and things just sort of happen.  Written in 2005.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burnt Sugar

Xander entered Java Girl with trepidation and looked around for Willow. He didn't see her at first, wondered for a moment if she was late or if he'd gotten the time wrong. 

Then he heard his name shouted, turned, and there she was – all flying red hair, bangles, and crushed velvet – tripping over her own skirts, a low table, and the coffee shop's other patrons to get to him. 

He'd been expecting a pallid, weepy Willow, he realized as she flung her arms around him. Hard to believe, but that was why he'd missed her. He'd watch her carefully, he decided. See how she was really doing. If he thought she'd laugh about it, he'd tell her.

Meantime, he hugged her tightly.

"I missed you." Her voice was muffled against his jacket sleeve.

"I missed you, too." He took her arms and held her away from him so he could see her better. "Willow, look at you!"

"I'd rather not," she said, laughing up at him.

"No, I mean—" Xander shook his head. He must have missed her more than he'd thought; the sight of her now made his chest ache. He wanted to pull her close again but he didn't want to stop looking at her. In Java Girl's warm, low lighting her hair was as bright as a new penny; her eyes were dark as coffee. Really good coffee, he thought, inhaling.

"We should go outside," Willow said. "People…" She gestured vaguely. "Hang on. I need to get my jacket…"

In a few moments they were on the sidewalk, walking west on Sixty-sixth Street. The sun had set fully and the temperature was dropping. Willow was having trouble zipping her bulky purple jacket; Xander watched her struggle for a minute or two, then said, "Here, I'll—"

She stopped walking, held out her arms, and he knelt in front of her. 

"What's in your pocket?" she asked as he tugged at the plastic zipper.

"Huh?"

"In that bag?"

"Oh, right." Xander reached into his pocket, pulled out the small paper bag, and handed it to Willow. "Jelly donuts," he explained while she poked her nose inside. "For Hanukkah. I couldn't find those chocolate coins, but I remembered you saying…" He grinned. "Gotta love a holiday that has donuts as a traditional food, right?"

Willow took one of the donuts out of the bag and took a bite. "Mmm. Sugary, fatty goodness. I like my holiday. I almost forgot about it."

"Well, when you have eight days, you can afford to miss one or two, right?"

"Yeah." Willow's smile was broad, her lips dusted with powdered sugar. She looked, Xander thought, as if she'd just been handed a major award.

"Look," he said, because he suddenly had a feeling that if he didn't establish a boundary he'd start thinking things he shouldn't be thinking, "about Kennedy—"

Willow's smile wobbled. "I really don't want to talk about her."

"I know – I mean, I kinda figured, but – I'm sorry the two of you—"

Which wasn't true, he realized. He wanted Willow to be happy, but wasn't all that sorry.

Willow shrugged. "I don't want to talk about her. You're here. I have jelly donuts. It's Hanukkah. Everything's okay! I just wish my zipper would – you know – do the zippy thing."

"The zippy thing. Right. Working on the zippy thing." Xander bent back to his task.

Presently, though, he felt a hand in his hair. He tensed. 

"I just—" Willow's voice had gone high pitched. "I got sugar in your hair. Just want to get it out. People will think you have dandruff. Okay, no," she babbled on, "I sort of – hmm. Lied. And you shouldn't lie on Hanukkah. I mean, lying is bad. Every day. But— This is nice, isn't it?"

Her voice held a desperate note. 

Xander stood. Her hand fell to her side.

"Umm," she said.

"Willow." He made to cup her cheeks, but let his hands fall to her shoulders instead. "You're gay."

"No," she protested. "Well – yes. Kind of. Gay. But – you're Xander." 

She stood on her toes and kissed him.

Her mouth tasted like fried bread, strawberry jam, and sugar. And something sweeter that he couldn't quite name and couldn't quite pull away from.

12/25/05


End file.
